“Old Saints” is the phrase I use for the couple of hundred or so people who were part of JBC thirty to fifty years ago. Many have moved away, and many have already died and gone to heaven. I have cut back a lot on what I do as a Pastor in the last couple of years, but I am committed to doing funerals and memorial services for the “Old Saints” if their family wants me to. I think only about a dozen of us are left before we have all gone to be with Jesus. Today, I will preach a sermon at Pat Smith’s Memorial service. She was the piano player in the early years of JBC, before the days of drums, sound systems, and other electronic stuff that typifies modern worship services in the church today. She was also the pioneer of women’s ministries at JBC and many other things as well. There are the old saints, and then there are the faithful foundational old saints; Pat Smith was definitely one of the latter.

Jefferson Baptist Church is a healthy, loving, unified, growing church glorifying God and accomplishing His will. The key to a healthy church is the foundation. When the foundation is strong, solid, and true, the building will usually follow that beginning. Pat Smith has gone ahead of us to heaven, but the effect of her life will be felt for many years to come.

I pray that the younger saints at JBC will continue to build on that foundation with gold, silver, and precious stones, as the apostle Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 3, and will be faithful.

God is faithful and He blesses and uses faithful people. A faithful person is one who makes commitments and keeps them, no matter what. A faithful person invests their life for others, even when it is hard. A faithful person works hard and sacrifices, and is in it for the long haul. Pat Smith was a faithful saint who is experiencing her reward for a life well lived now.